2016 INTERNATIONAL
Bar-B-Q Fes tivaL Guide A Special Publication of the Messenger-Inquirer
Summer tradition continues BY MEGHANN RICHARDSON
F
or nearly 40 years, the International Bar-B-Q Festival has helped usher Owensboro into summer. On Friday and Saturday, the smells of barbecue mingling with carnival fare will waft throughout downtown Owensboro during the 38th annual International Bar-B-Q Festival. The 2016 festival features many annual favorite events, including the Governor’s Cup barbecue cooking competition that will pit several local cooking teams against one another. The Backyard Cookoff competition on Saturday will allow amateur barbecuers to showcase their cooking skills — and many of them will offer samples for festival-goers. The 2016 BBQ Fest Rockin’ on the River will also help kickoff the 2016 barbecue festival. This indoor concert will be Friday evening at the Owensboro Convention Center.
There is a $20 general admission charge for this concert, which is headlined by John Michael Montogmery with special guest Jared Ashley. $40 VIP that includes table seating, food, and cash bar. Menu includes BBQ sliders, chips, and coleslaw. The barbecue festival has garnered many accolades over the years. It is routinely ranked in the Top 20 Events in the Southeast by the Southeast Tourism Society. In late 2013, USA Weekend named the festival as No. 5 on its 10 “most prestigious and entertaining BBQ competitions” list. Thrillist.com, a food, drink and travel website, mentioned the barbecue festival as an event to check out when it listed Owensboro as one of the top 11 best barbecue cities in the country. This guide offers a complete schedule of events for the 38th annual International Bar-B-Q Festival. More information may be found on the festival’s website, bbqfest.com.
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2016 Bar-B-Q festival SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Friday, May 13 OPENING CEREMONY
Local dignitaries participate in this ceremony, which includes the lighting of the kettle, at 5 p.m. at the RiverPark Center. The BBQ Fest Kickoff Concert presents country singer John Michael Montgomery, and special guest Jared Ashley, at 7 p..m at the Owesboro Convention Center.
SHOPPING Downtown Shopping Many of Owensboro’s downtown retailers will be open. Store hours vary. Arts and Crafts Vendors from across the
region will have booths featuring clothing, jewelry, housewares and other items on display from 5 to 10 p.m. along Veterans Boulevard and parts of Allen and Daviess streets. Arts and craft vendors sell handmade items. Business Park Vendors These booths will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. along parts of Second, Allen, St. Ann, Frederica and Daviess streets and feature merchandise that is not handmade.
SPECIAL EVENTS 2016 BBQ Concert Country singer John Michael Montgomery with special guest Jared Ashley
Skylar Conley, 10, throws her hands up in victory after putting her pie plate on her head and winning the Pie Eating Contest at the Overlook Stage at Smothers park during the 37th Annual International Bar-B-Q Festival.
will be kicking off the festival at the Owensboro Convention Center. Tickets cost $20 for general admission or $40 for VIP and can be purchased at the convention center box office or owensborotickets.com. Souvenir Sales From 5 to 10 p.m. in the Smothers Park Gazebo, and from 6 to 9 p.m. at the RiverPark Center. An information booth is also at the Smothers Park location. Pie Eating Contest Dessert lovers can watch as local children test their speed-eating abilities. The annual pie-eating contest is at 6 p.m. on the Overlook Stage in Smothers Park.
The Overlook Stage is near Frederica Street. Contestants must be 12 or younger. There is no registration fee. First, second and third prizes will be awarded to the children who eat their pies the fastest. Koehler’s Bakery donates the pies.
FOOD & DRINK Downtown dining Several downtown restaurants will be open during the festival. Hours vary by business. Concessions Food vendors will be available from 5 p.m. to midnight on Second, Allen, St. Ann, Frederica and Daviess streets. Cooking teams are
Bar-B-Q Festival Guide 2016 5 selling BBQ sandwiches and burgoo in the early afternoon at the Courthouse Square, Second Street and St. Elizabeth Street.
ENTERTAINMENT
6 p.m. – Top 40/Country/ Classic Rock Children’s Entertainment A carnival featuring Casey’s Rides will be from 5-11 p.m. with rides at Veterans Boulevard and Frederica Street and Second Street and J.R. Miller Boulevard.
Festival Plaza The plaza is open from 5 p.m. to midnight at Veterans Boulevard and St. Elizabeth Street. There will be a seating area for dining, and beer, wine SHOPPING and soft drinks will be for sale. Drinks will be for sale until Downtown Shopping 11:45 p.m. Hours vary by business. Festival Plaza Stage Arts and Crafts 5 p.m. – Opening Ceremonies 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on
Saturday, May 14
Justin Wink with the Crooked Creek cooking team pours kerosene on firewood in the pits at the International Bar-B-Q Festival in Owensboro. “When I first come out here, I wasn’t tall enough to see the chickens on the pit,” said Wink who has been on the team for seven years.
Veterans Boulevard. Business Park Vendors 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. on parts of Second, Allen, St. Ann, Frederica and Daviess streets. Souvenir sales 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. in the Smothers Park Gazebo, and 6 to 9 p.m. at the RiverPark Center.
SPECIAL EVENTS Cooking Teams Set up along the Courthouse Square, Second Street, St. Elizabeth Street and Frederica Street. Pits will be lit and smoke will be rolling through downtown by early Saturday morning as the annual cooking contest — the
centerpiece of the barbecue festival — gets under way. Teams come from several local churches — St. Pius X, Precious Blood, St. Mary of the Woods, Our Lady of Lourdes, Blessed Mother and St. Mary Magdalene — and there is one independent team, Crooked Creek. Teams compete in three areas — mutton, chicken and burgoo — trying to take top honors in both the categories and as overall grand champions, winning both bragging rights and the Governor’s Cup. Teams are required to cook a minimum of 600 pounds of mutton, 300 chickens and 60 gallons of burgoo.
Bar-B-Q Festival Guide 2016 7 Judging and Serving Judging begins at 2 p.m. Serving/selling time is 3 p.m., and the Governor’s Cup presentation and awards ceremony is at 6 p.m. on the Festival Plaza Stage. Cooking teams will sell mutton, chicken, pork and burgoo. 2015 Winners Last year, in the 2015 International Bar-B-Q Festival St. Mary Magdalene Parish took home the Governor’s Cup as the grand champions. St. Pius X took second place and Our Lady of Lourdes, third. In total, there were seven teams competing.
Mutton — St. Mary Magdalene, first; Our Lady of Lourdes, second and St. Pius X third. Chicken — St. Mary Magdalene, first; Blessed Mother, second and St. Pius X, third. Burgoo — St. Mary Magdalene, first; St. Pius X, second and Precious Blood, third. Team Spirit — St. Pius X Backyard Cook-Off — Second and Locust streets Though the Governor’s Cup competition has been at the heart of the festival, the Backyard Cook-Off is an event
that gives area barbecuers the chance to show off their skills. Cooking starts at 7 a.m. Judging is at 2 p.m., and awards will be given out at 5:30 p.m. on the Festival Plaza Stage. Backyard cooks aren’t allowed to sell their food, but many give out samples. 2015 Winners Overall winner — Pit for Brains Best Booth — Squeal Good BBQ Beef — Pit for Brains, first; Rollin’ Smoke, second and Staci’s Hog Heaven BBQ, third. Chicken — Kentucky Tiles Smokers, first; All Sauced Up, second and Rollin’ Smoke and Plumbers and Pipefitters No. 633, third. Pork — Uncle Pappy’s, first; Meatheads BBQ, second and Crooked Creek third Mutton Glutton Corn Hole Classic This year’s Mutton Glutton also features the Corn Hole Classic during the Mutton Glutton VIP party. The classic will be from 2 to 11 p.m., and the cost to enter is $20 per team.
Karlie Hempel, center right, cheers as she begins the annual International Bar-B-Q Festival 5K Run/Walk being pushed by Lauren Tucker behind the Hampton Inn & Suites in downtown.
5K Run/Walk Starts and ends at the Festival Plaza (St. Elizabeth and Veterans Boulevard) Race day registration is from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m., and the race begins at 8 a.m. Cost is $26 for individuals and $41 for families, up to four participants living in the same household. It is $5 each for additional family participant. Awards at 9 a.m. For more information, contact Chad Hart at the Owensboro Family YMCA at 270-926-9622. Bench Press Registration starts at 8 a.m., and lifting starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Owensboro Convention Center. Cost is $40 per person, per event, with Special Olympians lifting for free. Events are best raw bench,
best equipped bench, best dead lift and special awards. Divisions by formula are teen women, teen men, masters women and masters men. Open men will have raw and equipped classes, and all other divisions will be raw classes. Weight classes for open women, open men and Special Olympics athletes are: 114, 132, 165, 198, 242 and up. Awards are for first through third place in each division. A portion of the proceeds benefits Special Olympics. Tyler Wood Celebrity Appearance Tyler Wood, actor from Discovery Channel’s TV show Moonshiners will be at the festival from noon - 6 p.m. Location to be determined.
Bar-B-Q Festival Guide 2016 11 Keg Toss There are men’s and women’s divisions for the annual keg toss, which is at 2 p.m. at the Festival plaza. The event has women throwing an empty 8-gallon keg, while the men throw an empty 16-gallon keg. Participants must be at least 18. Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. The keg must land within the designated target. The distance of the throw is measured from the point of contact — rolling or bouncing after the initial contact does not count. The single best distance in two tries counts as the contestant’s score. Registration costs $10.
patrons can hang out in the air-conditioned RiverPark Center, where they will have access to a catered meal and live entertainment. A pass is $40 and includes eight adult beverage tickets and food. Passes can be purchased at the RiverPark Center’s box office by calling (270) 6872787 or downloaded from the barbecue festival’s website, bbqfest.com.
FOOD AND DRINK
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Entertainment The Festival plaza is open from noon to midnight at Veterans Boulevard and St. Elizabeth Street.
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2015 PLATINUM WINNER
Rachel Nance, 17, right, screams as she spins and spins on a Tilt-AWhirl ride at the 37th Annual International Bar-B-Q Festival. Nance, and her friends Cassia Coakley, 17, left, and Jalynn Funkhouser, 16, are all from Madisonville.
Festival Plaza Stage 11 a.m. - Moon Lighters 1:15 p.m. - TBA 3:30 p.m. – Josh Merritt 6 p.m. – BBQ Awards Ceremony 7 p.m. – Insulated 9 p.m. – RUKUS Overlook Stage Noon - Pie eating contest Courthouse Square Noon - OHS Red Steel Band Children’s Entertainment The Family Pavilion, sponsored by First Baptist Church at Second and Daviess streets, features children’s activities from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The carnival, featuring Casey’s Rides, is from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. at Veterans Boulevard and Frederica Street and Second Street and J.R. Miller Boulevard. Every effort was made to ensure the accuracy of
information as of the date of publication. If you need information that is not available in this guide, please visit www.bbqfest.com.
Bar-B-Q Festival Guide 2016 13
38TH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL
May 13 & 14 Bar-B-Q 2016 FestivaL